Out and About in Barcelona - The Essential Guide

Exploring the city with public transport.

Barcelona's Metro is undoubtedly one of the fastest ways to get around the city. There is a total of 17 underground lines and railways linking the capital to nearby cities. Also, let's not forget about the 6 tram lines and numerous buses. There are 33 interchange stations, 9 of which connect directly to the rail network.

Barcelona Public Transport

Let's take a look at the various transport lines across Barcelona as well as the main saver tickets to travel cheaper around the city.

Tickets and Prices

If you're coming to Barcelona for a vacation, then you'll have a large selection of tickets to available for you. You can always buy a single ticket to hop on a bus or the metro, but that's not going to be very economic. Each ticket costs €2.15 (Zone 1 only - prices increase in the outer zones) and is only valid for one journey without an interchange. Wherever you're travelling in Barcelona, children under 4 travel free. Anyway, there are better options than a single ticket for exploring the city and its surroundings.

Hola BCN!

Barcelona have designed a travel card specifically for tourists. It's not that impressive because there are very few cases where it will work out to be economic. The "Hola BCN!" cards are ideal in the unlikely scenario that you're travelling solo and you plan on using the metro more than 10 times in 2 days, more than 20 times in 3 days, or more than 30 times in 4-5 days. If that's so then by all means, you'll probably save a few pennies with these cards. If you get one of these cards and you're going to be hopping on and off transport like a yo-yo, this works out well. Note: You can't share these tickets between various people.

T-10

A much better option - especially if you're travelling as a family - is the T-10 ticket. It's this type of ticket that the locals are using because it usually works out the cheapest for standard travel. One ticket includes 10 journeys and once you clock the ticket, you have 1 hour and 15 minutes of journey time around the city, to interchange between rail, bus, or other modes of transport for free. If 2 people use the ticket, then both people can interchange in this time. The price per journey works out at half that of a single ticket.

Pets

As of 2014, dogs are now allowed to travel with owners on the Metro system. There are some basic rules to follow (like a muzzle and non-extendible lead outside of peak hours). For more information, take a look at our guide to pets in Barcelona.

Now you're ready to explore Barcelona with complete freedom. If you're moving to Barcelona to work or study, naturally you might be interested in other cards, like the monthly T-Mes travel-card, T-50/30, T-70/30, or the T-Trimestre. You can see all the options on the TMB Website.

Remember: For a comfortable journey you can try to avoid rush hour and take pay attention for any pickpockets. You can check for any lines that are down due to incidents or construction using the Official TMB app or other transport apps listed in this article on useful mobile apps in Barcelona.

Tram

Francesc Macià / Bon Viatge

Francesc Macià / Llevant - Les Planes

Francesc Macià / Sant Feliu - Consell Comarcal

Estació de Sant Adrià / Ciutadella Vila Olímpica

Glòries / Gorg

Estació de Sant Adrià / Gorg

If you prefer to avoid the Metro (and even buses, trams and trains), residents can access the local cycling initiative called Bicing - read about accessing this service in our article about Bicing or you can drive around in a car and find free parking in the city .